Gov. Cuomo announced that gatherings of up to 25 people will be permitted as New York regions enter Phase 3 of reopening, up from gatherings of 10 currently allowed.

He made the announcement at his daily news briefing Monday on the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic. It came as hospitalizations in New York hit an all-time low since the start of the crisis. The state's daily death toll also remained low, at 25.

The governor spoke in front of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, where he cut a ribbon to open a new shared-use, pedestrian-bicycle path after the briefing.

The governor also addressed ongoing unrest over racial injustice and the death of George Floyd, outlining additional police reforms he signed Monday.

-The governor gave his daily briefing in Westchester County in front of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo bridge. Monday marks the opening of a shared-use, bicycle-pedestrian path on the bridge that will now be open to use for the public.

-On ongoing unrest over racial injustice and George Floyd, Gov. Cuomo  signed additional reform bills Monday. Those include a law stating that an officer must report a weapon discharge within 6 hours; a law requiring police departments and courts to track arrest data, including race/ethnicity; and law that requires police to provide for the mental or medical health to anyone under arrest or in custody if needed.

 

-On COVID data, Cuomo says the numbers continue to trend in a positive direction, with the lowest numbers of virus hospitalizations since the crisis started. There were 25 COVID-19 deaths within the past 24 hours, up slightly from 23 the day before.

-As regions enter Phase 3, Cuomo says they will revise guidelines to allow gatherings of up to 25 people. New York's Western region is set to enter Phase 3 Tuesday and the Capital region will enter it on Wednesday.

-The governor spoke about the need to take advantage of the moment as ridership is down and people are staying home to get work done on major New York infrastructure projects, including Stewart Airport, MTA projects, Belmont, etc. He cited the newly built bridge in his backdrop as an example of defeating a major infrastructure challenge.